Bishop Emeritus Lawrence Eugene Brandt, bishop of the Diocese of Greensburg from 2004 to 2015, died Sunday morning. He was 86.

Church officials credit Brandt, the Greensburg Diocese’s fourth bishop, for leading the diocese through a series of changes, including improving finances and addressing the declining number of Catholics.

“It was Bishop Brandt who asked me to study canon law, and with his support, asked me (to) assist him as an episcopal master of ceremonies and then as vicar general for our diocese,” said Diocese of Greensburg Bishop Larry J. Kulick. “He was incredibly disciplined, but that only fostered his spirituality and his ability to leave the diocese in good order, both spiritually and financially.”

The diocese did not disclose a cause of death. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

“On behalf of the clergy, religious and faithful of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, I extend sincere condolences to Bishop Kulick and the entire Greensburg diocesan family,” said Bishop David Zubik in a statement. “We give thanks for Bishop Brandt’s life and priestly witness.

”I first came to know Bishop Brandt when he was the chancellor of the Diocese of Erie, long before he became the bishop of Greensburg. We each represented our respective dioceses on the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference. During the nearly 30 years we have worked together, I came to know him as a man who truly loved Christ and His Body, the Church. May God quickly take him to the place prepared for him in heaven.”

Bishop Designate Mark Eckman of the Diocese of Pittsburgh offered similar comments.

“His many years of service leave a legacy marked by fidelity, intelligence and strength,” Eckman said. “I join Bishop Zubik and the people of the Diocese of Pittsburgh in offering prayers for the repose of Bishop Brandt’s soul and in extending our sympathies to Bishop Kulick, the clergy, and the faithful of the Diocese of Greensburg,”

Early in his term, Brandt established three vocation prayer chapels in Latrobe, Indiana and Uniontown to raise awareness for prayer to help increase vocations.

That later proved to be successful. Brandt ordained the diocese’s first two permanent deacons in 2009, and four more in 2015. In 2010, he invited the first two Filipino priests to serve in the diocese and ordained eight men to the priesthood during his tenure.

In 2005, Brandt led a strategic planning process to hear opinions from parishioners on church matters. Listening sessions guided consolidation plans in 2008 and 2013 and led to the establishment of the Office for Development and the Office for Evangelization.

“In order to attempt to respond to the great emotional distress involved in the suppression of some parishes and the partnering of others because of the restructuring process, ‘Masses of Welcome and Remembrance’ were offered by Bishop Brandt in all the affected parishes in order to welcome parishioners to their new parish or partnership configuration and to offer help to others in dealing with a deep sense of loss because of their attachment to and identity with a former parish,” the diocese said in a statement.

Brandt launched a capital campaign, “Today’s Challenge — Tomorrow’s Hope,” in 2009, which raised $55 million, exceeding the goal by $10 million, according to the diocese.

Repair and restoration of Blessed Sacrament Cathedral was covered through the capital campaign, which was completed within budget in October 2011, coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the Diocese of Greensburg.

Brandt established the Diocesan Poverty Relief Fund in 2010. Money contributed to the fund goes directly to the aid of the poor and needy in the diocese.

In 2014, Brandt announced the establishment of the Diocesan Heritage Center, intended to house artifacts, pictures and documents from the Diocese’s history.

He retired in 2015 at the age of 75.

Courtesy of the Diocese of Greensburg Bishop Emeritus Lawrence E. Brandt, JCD, fourth bishop of the Diocese of Greensburg.  

Born in Charleston, W.Va., Brandt moved with his family to the Erie area as a boy. After attending seminary at Pontifical College Josephinum in Ohio, he continued his education in Europe, earning a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Innsbruck in Austria in 1966. He also studied at the Sorbonne in Paris and the University of Florence in Italy, and pursued theological studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

Brandt was ordained to the priesthood December 1969 at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. He was named chaplain of his holiness with the title of monsignor by Pope Paul VI in 1974. In 1984, he was named vice chancellor of the Diocese of Erie, and then named chancellor and member of the diocesan administrative cabinet in 1991.

From 1985 to 1998, Brandt served as assistant chancellor and resident chaplain of Gannondale Residential Center for Girls in Erie. He later was appointed a parish priest at St. Hedwig in Erie. Prior to becoming a bishop, Brandt served at Christ the King Parish in Dunbar, W.Va., and Sacred Heart Parish in Charleston, W.Va.

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